Transcript Natural Gas Fleets

Objectives
 Explain how to implement green fleets
 Learn about incentives for converting to
natural gas fleets
 Learn about the availability and cost of
natural gas
 Identify the advantages of using natural
gas
 Understand how to safely handle natural
gas
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Greening of Fleets
 Why use green fleets?
 Reduce operating costs
 Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
 Improve corporate image
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How to Implement Natural Gas
 Get buy-in
 Create long-term objectives
 Avoid setting reduction goals in absolute
numbers
 Anticipate obstacles
 Move slowly
 Improve vehicle use
 Track and report progress
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Natural Gas Fleets
 Natural gas = hydrocarbon fuel; mostly
methane
 Natural gas is a fossil fuel
 Natural gas has a higher flammability than
conventional gasoline
 Natural gas has a lower volumetric energy
density compared to liquid fuels
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How is Natural Gas Formed?
 Fossil fuel – nonrenewable
 Decay of organic matter over time
 Coal, oil, stand-alone wells
 Biogas – renewable
 Landfills
 Agriculture
 Stored as CNG or LNG
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CNG
 Natural gas is compressed and stored as a
gas
 Stable method of containment
 3000-3600 psi
Figure 1 (left): Factory available Honda Civic CNG passenger car. Source: NAFTC.
Figure 2 (right): Corresponding CNG trunk-mounted tank. Source: NAFTC.
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LNG
 Natural gas is cooled below
-260°F
 Stored at lower pressures
 If released, LNG will quickly
evaporate
 Considered a cryogenic liquid
 Storage tanks are called
dewars
Figure 3: Cutaway of LNG tank showing
dual walls and insulation. Source: NAFTC.
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Incentives for Using Natural Gas in
Fleets
 Incentives
 Partnership initiatives and pooled resources
 Financial subsidiaries
 Informational tools
 Initial cost vs. federal and state incentives
 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA)
 Clean Cities Program
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Tax Incentives
 Tax incentives for natural gas fuel,
vehicles, and infrastructure have been
provided through federal law
 In addition to federal incentives, 25 states
currently offer to help in the
development of the market
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Federal Grant Funding
 Federal government = largest grant provider
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U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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State Grant Funding
 State Energy Office (SEO)
 National Association of State Energy Officials
directory
 Alternative Fuels Data Center map
 To find state-specific information, visit
www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/state
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Incentives for Natural Gas Production
 Recently doubled estimates of U.S. natural gas
reserves
 Expanded drilling options available
 Cleaner burning domestically produced gas
 State incentives for increased production
 Local biomass projects
 Use of renewable biogas over natural gas
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Natural Gas Availability and Cost
 Currently, there are 300,000 miles of
natural gas pipelines in U.S.
 Most public fueling stations are CNG
because fleets using LNG have dedicated
infrastructure
 Consumption has increased 145%
nationwide since 2005
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Figure 4: Natural Gas fueling stations by state. AFDC.
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 Research shows the cost of diesel fuel
is projected to increase at a linear rate
of 5.6% per year
 Increase in natural gas = 1.6% per year
Figure 5: EIA Fuel Price Projections. Source: EIA.
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Figure 6: Cost comparison - diesel, gasoline, & compressed natural gas. Source: AFDC.
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Natural gas price depends upon:
 Cost of production
 Demand for natural gas
 87% domestically produced
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Natural Gas Advantages
 Reduced greenhouse gas and particulate
matter emissions
 Reduced long term operating costs
 Domestically produced
 Higher compression ratios
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Things to Consider
 Limited vehicle availability and initial cost
 Shorter driving range
 Limited public fueling stations
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Natural Gas Performance and Safety
 Performance
 Conversions have similar performance
 May sacrifice some power
 Dedicated and purposed built may have better
performance
 Can utilize higher compression ratio for
increased engine efficiency
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Natural Gas Performance Summary
• Similar vehicle performance
• High octane rating
• Cleaner exhaust emissions
• Fuel tank size can be large
• Limited vehicle fueling stations
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Safety
 NGVs have excellent safety record:
 Integrity of the NGV’s fuel storage and
delivery system
 Properties of the fuel itself
 Natural gas is highly flammable
 Excellent for combustion
 Should be handled with same care given to
other combustible fuels
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Safety
 Natural gas cylinders are much thicker
and stronger than gasoline or diesel tanks
 The National Fire Protection Agency
(NFPA) and U.S. DOT identify hazards
with diamond placards
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Tanks
 CNG
 Produced to meet reliability and performance
standards
 3 year or 36,000 mile tank inspections
 LNG
 Visual inspection for
corrosion
 Label
Figure 7: Example of LNG tank label. Source:
NAFTC.
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NFPA Placards and Specifications
 Four colored diamonds within outer diamond
 Inner diamonds dictate health, fire, reactivity,
and other hazard information
 Different diamonds for different substances
Figure 8 (left): NFPA hazard placard for CNG. Source: NFPA.
Figure 9 (right): NFPA 704 hazard placard for LNG. Source: NFPA.
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U.S. DOT Placards and Specifications
 Help identify what fuel is being transported
 Different placards for different forms of fuel
 Proper officials should be contacted to ensure
correct placards are displayed
Figure 10 (left): CNG transport placard for UN 1971. Source: U.S. DOT.
Figure 11: LNG transport placard UN 1972. Source: U.S. DOT.
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Natural Gas Safety Summary
• NGVs must meet stringent safety
codes
• Safe and durable storage tanks
• Tank inspections
• Exposure causes minimal injury
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Test Your Knowledge
1.
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5.
True or False: The price of natural gas based on a
gasoline gallon equivalent is typically lower than
gasoline.
What are the two forms of natural gas storage?
True or False: Fueling stations for natural gas are
located in nearly all locations of conventional fuel
stations.
Natural gas engines can utilize higher __________
due to its higher ___________ rating.
True or False: Natural gas vehicles require periodic
fuel tank inspections.
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